Labour groups, NDP rally for $15 minimum wage

Labour groups marched through downtown St. John's Tuesday demanding the province increase its minimum wage.

The basic hourly rate went to $11.15 on April 1 but union representatives meeting for the annual convention of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour said that's not enough.

• Nickel and dime: Provincial minimum wage to increase by 15 cents
• Mind the gap: St. John's wage inequality worst in Atlantic Canada

The provincial New Democrats have pledged to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2021. Party leader Gerry Rogers repeated the commitment as she spoke to demonstrators as they rallied on the steps of the Colonial Building.

In the House of Assembly on Tuesday, Rogers pressed the point.

Answering for government, Fisheries and Lands Resources Minister Gerry Byrne said the minimum wage will increasebecause it is tied to the consumer price index, but would not commit to the $15 benchmark.

Byrne said the strategy was implemented after consultations around the province.

Rogers estimated there are 13,000 minimum wage earners in Newfoundland and Labrador she claims that two-thirds are women who work full-time.